Joe Manchin Is Open to Raising Age to Buy Assault Weapons to 21

Conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), who has repeatedly obstructed his Democratic colleagues’ agenda over the past year, has expressed support for gun reform in the wake of the recent string of mass shootings across the country.

Manchin told CNN on MondayHe said he would vote for legislation to raise the age limit for purchasing assault-style guns to 21. In his opinion, he said, there isn’t any real reason for anyone to own an AR-15, The weapon used in mass shootings by killers.

Manchin, who is a hunter, said that he’d never have “a need” for that type of weapon.

“I like to shoot, I like to go out and hunt. I like to go sports shooting. All of it. But I’ve never felt I needed something of that magnitude,” Manchin said.

Manchin also said he was open to “looking at” a complete ban on assault weapons, similar to a law that was passed in the mid-1990s but which expired in 2004. While President Joe Biden supports such a ban, it would be non-starter for Republicans and likely to be blocked by a Senate Filibuster.

It’s unlikely that a compromise bill between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Any of the Biden-requested measures would be contained.Last week, he made a speech about gun violence. Instead, the bipartisan measure will likely include a so-called “red flag” provisionThese include proposals to increase access for mental health programs and provide additional funding for school districts to secure their schools. To pass the bill once it is written, the bipartisan group must get the votes of all Democrats plus 10 Republicans.

Another option for gun reform is Rep. Don Beyer’s (D-Virginia) proposalIt is expected to impose a 1,000 percent tax on the sale of assault-style weapons, and accessories. Beyer stated that the tax burden would likely decrease sales of new AR-15 model.

If Beyer’s proposal is attached to a budget reconciliation package, it would be able to circumvent the filibuster and could pass into law with only a simple majority in both houses of Congress.

In the wake of several mass shootings in recent weeks, the call for gun reform is being made. A white supremacist gunman shot dead a protester on May 14. 10 Black people were killed in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. On May 24, a gunman killed 19 children and two teachersAn elementary school shooting took place in Uvalde Texas. On June 1, A gunman shot and killed four peopleIn Tulsa, Oklahoma, at a hospital complex